Moment of silence begins court battle

“Among many parents at Rosemeade Elementary, he is viewed as a nuisance.

But David Wallace Croft says he is fighting against the influence of “Judeo-Christian monotheism.”

He defines himself as an atheist, an “optihumanist” and a Libertarian. Over the past several years, he has fought any signs of religion at the Carrollton school his three children attend.

He complained about Boy Scout rallies held during school, fliers sent home about Good News Bible Club meetings and the inclusion of “Silent Night” and a Hanukkah song in holiday concerts.

The rallies and fliers stopped, and in some cases the songs were removed or altered, angering other parents.

Mr. Croft, 39, often stopped by the campus looking for violations. He took photos as evidence of “In God We Trust” posters hanging on the wall and complained about a teacher wearing an Abilene Christian University shirt.

His largest fight to date is set to play out in federal district court in Dallas today. He and his wife, Shannon, are suing Gov. Rick Perry and the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district, arguing that the state’s minute of silence, in effect since 2003, is unconstitutional and amounts to state-sanctioned school prayer.

The lawsuit says a Rosemeade teacher told Mr. Croft’s son that the minute of silence held each morning was specifically for prayer. She then bowed her head, clasped her hands and began to pray.

“Moment of silence bills have been popping up in additional states,” Mr. Croft wrote on his blog. “To have millions of public school children waste a minute of education each day for a practice that has no secular purpose seems to me like a great sin.”